Tell us a little about yourself and your hair journey.
My name is Brittany (@mrspennycandy on IG). I am 27 years old, a mother of 2 beautiful kids, a stepmother to 1, and I have been married for 8 years. I have been natural since 2005 and I am so happy that I did. My mother gave me my first relaxer at age 7 because I was severely “tender headed”. It didn’t work because every time I had to get a touch up, there were tears and I would run to the sink to rinse that stuff out! I’m so glad those days are over!

How long have you been natural? Have you always embraced your curls?
I stopped relaxing in 2005, but I didn’t start wearing my hair in its natural state until 2011. My mother would always encourage me to wear my hair curly, but I was so used to flat ironing. She showed me articles and a bunch of pictures of other beautiful naturals on curlynikki.com and I became obsessed. I never imagined that natural hair could be so beautiful. I used to think my natural hair was ugly because it wasn’t the long silky type, but over time I realized that I just didn’t understand how to care for it. All it needed was some TLC.

What motivated you to transition? Were you a transitioner or a Big Chopper& why?
I transitioned because I got fed up with the chemical burns. I colored my hair the summer before my senior year of high school and some of my hair fell out. I just decided enough was enough. There weren’t any big YouTube naturalists back then (or not that I was aware of) and I didn’t even realize it was called transitioning. I just wanted to grow the relaxer out and only get my hair flat ironed.

How would you describe your hair?
I would definitely describe my hair as kinky curly. More kinky than curly depending on the day. I am not a big manipulator, I just let it do its own thing. I rarely flat iron now, I have learned to love my curls and I believe that has helped me maintain length.

What do you love most about your hair?I love that I no longer have to worry about every little strand being perfect. I don’t have to spend hours blow drying it or flat ironing it. I love that regardless of the day, my hair can look great. If it’s frizzy, that’s cool. If it’s curly, great! And on days when I’m not feeling how it looks down, I can throw it in a big bun and it still looks nice.

What are (or were) some of your favorite hairstyles or current dos’?
I have named myself the Twistout Queen. I looooove a good twistout. I rock that style more than anything else. I really like big top knot buns and curl formers too. I have recently began experimenting with blowing out my hair using the tension method. It allows my hair to stay curly but it stretches out the hair more so I can enjoy the length. I like the look of wash’n’gos but my hair gets so tangled and knotty. And so I try not to do that too often.

What is your hair regimen?
Every 4 weeks I clarify with 50:50 Apple Cider Vinegar and water. After I clarify I continue with my normal cowash routine.I try to cowash my hair once a week. I use Giovanni’s Deeper Moisture or Hydrating & Calming Conditioner. I use different stylers and leave ins but some of my favorites are BeeMine Luscious Balanced Moisturizer, SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leavein, and Camille Rose’s Gel. Im also a fan of Qhemet’s Biologics line. After the styler is in, I flat twist my hair in about 8-10 twists and then bobby pin them to stretch them. Once they’re dry, take them down and Voila! Fab twist out! I usually rock a bun once the twist out starts getting old until the next wash day.

What are some of you favorite natural hair websites,YouTuber’s, or blogs?
Obviously, CurlyNikki has tons of information. I am a big fan of Naptural85, Mahoganycurls, and HeyFranHey. I have learned a lot from all 3 about all things natural, from cooking, fitness, hair, skin, and even teeth. Some of my favorite IG pages are @naturalhairdaily, @happilynaturalLit26, and @eclark6 (her hair is BOMB!)… plus all of the other ladies mentioned previously.

What have your experiences been as a ‘natural’? Any memorable reactions from family or others?
I got chosen to be a hair model for the Curlynikki/Chicago meet up in 2012 which was really cool. There were so many heads of beautiful hair in one place! Everyone was so positive and sweet. It was really dope. I haven’t had too many bad experiences. I think I have been my worst critic. My husband has been extremely supportive. He loves natural hair and had it not been for his encouragement, I am sure I would have been flat ironing a lot more still. I’ve had people ask me if this is all my hair and if they can touch it, LOL, but nothing too crazy.

Anything you want the readers to know? Inspirational words?
I get so sad when I hear women say that they cannot go natural because their hair is too nappy. I always ask “too nappy compared to what?” Nappy, kinky, curly, wavy, frizzy, and straight is all beautiful! Take the time to learn who you truly are from the inside out. And that goes beyond just hair. We have to take care of ourselves mentally, physically, and spiritually as well. Embrace your curves, love your skin tone. When we start to love ourselves, our little girls will have no choice but to love themselves too. They watch everything we do. Be mindful of the footprint you are leaving in your daughter’s mind.

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